Apparatus for and method of producing gas



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A. KITSON & T. WALKER. APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF PRODUCING GAS No.507,073. Patented Oat/17,1893.

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'A. -KITSON & T. WALKER; APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF PRODUCING GAS.

N0. 507,073. I Patented Oct. 17, 1893.

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A. KITSON &' T. WALKER. APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF PRODUCING GAS;

AT 7 J flan/0H [fly-50M a HUGH-row UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR KITSON AND THOMAS WALKER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF PRODUCING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 507,073, dated October17, 1893.

Application filed August 26, 1892. Serial No. 444,153. (No model.)

all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ARTHUR KITSON, a subject of the Queen of Great'Britain, and THOMAS WALKER, a citizen of the United States of America,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparatus for and P Methods of Producing Gas, of which the following isa specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyingdrawings.

This invention relates particularly to improvements in furnaces forgenerating gas from fuel subjected therein to suitable treatment. Amongthe greatest of the practical difficulties encountered in thus producinggas, are, first, the tendency of the fuel to clinker so as to preventthe free passage through it of the jets of steam, 850., to which it issubjected; and second the tendency to form holes instead of lying in -acompact ass, thus preventing that uniform action pen the whole body offuel and upon the ts themselves, which is necessary to the Jrnplete andeconomical generation of a uniform'quality of gas. To remedy thisdifficulty furnaces have heretofore been provided with hearths capableof both a rotary andup and down movement as is shown in 0 Patent No.462,561, issued November 3, 1891, to Arthur Kitson, one of yourpetitioners; but the result has not been entirely satisfactory, therotation of the "hearth frequently failing to sufficiently effect themain body of the fuel and the proper operation of the hearth mechanismbeing interfered with by exposure of the operative mechanism to ashesand heat. An important object of our present invention is to obviatethese diffi- 4o culties.

Other principal objects of our invention are to improve the process ofenriching the fuel gas by the addition thereto of hydrocarbon; toprovideimproved mechanism for 5 the injecting of heated air and vaporized oilinto the furnaces by the action of steam jets, and for the satisfactoryfeeding of fuel into the furnace during its continual operation.

The invention isfully described in connection with the. accompanyingdrawings which illustrate a preferred form of apparatus embodying thesame, and the novel features are specifically pointed out in the claims.A

- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the apparatus taken on line X Xof Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a similar view taken on line Y Y Fig. 3.. Fig. 3 isa plan view of the furnace plate, grate bars and ash pit, with thehearth removed.

The fuel chamber A of the furnace is inclosed by fire-brick walls A withan iron jacket as usual, resting upon a furnace plate .13 which is inturn supported by means of suitable legs from a base .plate 0. To theunder side of the furnace plate are secured vertical grate bars Darranged in a circle within which the hearth E of the furnace is adaptedto move freely as is shown in a pending application of one of yourpetition- 7o ers, Serial No. 408,670. The iron ash pit F is freelysupported from the furnace plate and is formed with an inclined bottom Fthe lowest portion of which extends nearly to the base plate 0 nearwhich a cleaning doorf is provided.

The grate or hearth E consists of a circular plate of iron havingacircular flange E of gradually increasing height, which incloses andsupports the fire brick portion of the hearth. The upper surface E uponwhich the fuel rests, thus forms an oblique plane considerably inclinedfrom the horizontal.

The hearth is supported upon a central hollow shaft G communicating withthe central opening 6 in the hearth through a grating or bars 6 by meansof which a chamber is formed for the reception of suitable materials,such as asbestus wool and ashes, or pieces of fire brick through whichthe blast is admitted to the fuel as will be described later. The hollowshaft Gr which is preferably formed in two parts as shown, passesthrough an opening in the inclined bottom F of the ash pit a stuffingboxf' being provided to maintain a 5 tight ash pit while permitting freemovement of the shaft. The lower end of the shaft is provided with ascrew thread g which engages the internally screw threaded hub or nut Hfastened to the bed plate below and too hearth and at the same timeraises it by means of the screw threaded end and hub, the gear wheelbeing held upon the hub by means of a collar 71; while rotating in theopposite direction in like manner lowers the hearth. A sleeve f fastenedto the inclined bottom of the ash pit extends upward within it inclosingthe shaft and a corresponding sleeve g of somewhat larger diameter,secured to the under side of the hearth, is moved up and down with thelatter, overlapping the fixed sleeve f in telescope fashion, and servingto protect the shaft and stuffing box'from the ashes dropping into thepit from the fuel chamber; thus insuring perfectly satisfactoryoperation of the movable hearth.

The water circulating coils J extending around the fuel chamber areconnected as heretofore to the boiler or reservoir J, as is also thesuper-cheating coil K. We provide in addition'an oil vaporizing coil L,one end Z of which is connected with an oil supply pipe L and also withan intercepting steam pipe Z supplied from the superheating coil K; bymeans of this steam jet the oil is driven through the coil L, in whichit is simultaneously subjected to the furnace heat, and through suitablylocated openings. Z or l at the other end of the coil into the fuelchamber. These openings are arranged at different pointscircumferentially and at differentheights above the grate and areprovided with regulating valves as indicated for regulating or entirelyclosing them so as to permit the vaporized oil and steam to be admittedat proper points into the incandescent fuel as will be described later.i

To provide for thoroughly heating the air blast which is conveyed to thefurnace through the hollow central shaft G of the hearth and through theblast pipe H'i connecting with the fixed. hub H, we surround the gastake off pipe M from the furnace with a casing N, thus forming anannular air passage having a supply opening a. at one end andterminatingin a chamber M from which the air thus heated by contact withthe surface of thetake: oif pipe is drawn into the blast pipe H anddriven through the same in the usual manner into the furnace by means ofthe injector 0,

tions d of the pendent grate bars are formed with lugs d by means ofwhich they are hinged to the furnace plate adjacent to a side door Fsin-the ash pit, so as. to permit of their be:

ing swung entirely out of the way during the cleaning operation andreadily returned to normal position thereafter, any suitable means beingprovided to lock them.

Our mechanism for conveniently feeding fuel to the furnace as it isrequired, without allowing any escape of gas therefrom, consists of anordinary hopper P which is mounted upon a cylindrical valve casing Qarranged horizontally and having opposite openings communicatingrespectively with the hopper and with the goose neck passage way R to acentral opening in the furnace, This casing is provided with end heads qand q through one of which the stem 8 of a hollow valve 8 fitted to thecasing, projects,whereby through suitable mechanism, the valveis rotatedduring the operation of the furnace. The valve tself is a h llowcylinder h ving a single p nin which r giste lternat y, durin otatio wih he hopper and furnace opening f the casing, thevalve c mb r bei led tuel rom the hopper when in chinmnni a ion ther with nd the contentssharg into the fu nac as t e op n n 8 reache it ow t p s ion in th a nwhile come by constructihQihQVMYh w han were,

engi s nge s w ich ena les the co umn of l b v the, val e to he moreeasily t off, the fuel be ng crowded in th un i led pace bel w said flag i tead o etween the valve n e sing s desc ibed t th valv con ol ing te upply of fuel to the furnace, and the hearth meehan: ism arepreferably operated continuously; he alternat up a ow ovement o he.hearth being efiected by means of two sets of pulleys. arrangedito berun in opposite directions,with an automatic belt shifting mechanism,such as is commonly used in similar cases. During the operation of thefurnace the fuel is kept oonstai ily agitated not only by the up nd downmovement of the hearth but by the positive turning or rotation ofpractically the whole mass of fuel withthe rotating hearth. Thispositive rotation of the fuel which we have found to be essential to a sy b aking up. of any b dges or arches forming above the h a h, is fected y th peculiar f rm of e t er Wh eh is considerably higher at oneside than at the other so that it is impossible for it to rotateindependen y of the body of fuel supported 1 90 it as is the case witating rat heretofore used. The top portion. o the fuel may not berotated as rapidly as the lower presence of which prevents any cloggingof the passage as effectuallyas the form of the rotating grate preventsany unequal resistance to the passage of the blast through the mass offuel, thus insuring thorough distribution and decomposition of thesteam. The vaporized oil is blown into the incandescent fuelsufficiently below the surface to insure a proper decomposition of thesame in passing upward through it but not sufficient to cause.

the breaking" up of the heavy hydrocarbons into lighter gases with theresult of impairing its illuminating properties, one or other of thedifferent series of inlets Z" being used depending upon the height ofthe fuel in the chamber. The ashes, which are sifted through the pendentgrate bars into the ash pit practically as fast as formed, can have noeffect whatever on the hearth operating gear which is efiectuallyprotected by our improved construction; and they are removed with thegreatest ease owing to the inclined form of the pit.

In our complete operation of manufacturing gas a constant stream ofblended air and steam is projected into and passes upward through theentire mass of incandescent fuel while at the same time continuousstreams of: blended steam and oil are projected into it at aproperlyadjusted distance below the surface to insure sufficient but not tooprolonged action of the heat upon the vaporized oil; these streams ofsteam and air, and steam and oil are maintained by the constant generation of steam and the constant vaporization of'the oil by means ofthe same combustion which serves to generate the gas. The fuel, which isfed in regularly and automatically, instead of being intermittently orperiodically agitated or stirred, as is ordinarily done with the resultof producing gas of varying quality, is continuously automatically anduniformly agitated so as to maintain the fuel in a uniformly loose yetcompact mass which insures uniform action upon the oil and theconsequent production of a uniform quality and maximum quantity of gas,at the same time avoiding all necessity for interfering with thecontinuous operation of the furnace.

Having thus clearly described our invention we do not limit ourselves tothe exact construction shown; but

What we claim is- 1. In a gas generating furnace the combination withthe fuel chamber of the movable circular grate or hearth, having itsupper face upon which the body of fuel rests a plane surface inclinedfrom the horizontal, and

mechanism for imparting a rotary motion to the saidhearth forlthepurpose described.

2. In a gas generator the combination with i the fuel chamber and theash pit below the 'same,'of the movable grate or hearth having a centralopening and a hollow shaft extending downward through the bottom of theashpit, the fixed hub or nut below said ash-pit internally screwthreaded to receive the threaded end of the hollow shaft, the blastpipe'conn'ected to said fixed hub and a rotating mechanism for operatingsaid shaft, all substantially as set forth.

3. In a gas generator the combination with thefuel chamber, of acircular grate or hearth, having a central opening a hollow supportingshaft extending downward therefrom, a pipe connected with the hollowshaft, the said central opening in the grate being arranged to form anopen chamber and having loosely packed therein porous or broken re-'fractory material through which the blast passes,'substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

4. In a gas generator the combination with the fuel chamber ofa coil ofpipe surrounding the same and having one end connected with an oilsupplypipe and with a steam jet for projecting the oil through said coil, andthe Opposite end provided with two or more series of inlets into thefuel chamber arranged at dilferent heights from the hearth and providedwith independent regulating valves, substantially as set forth.

5. Ina gas generator the combination with the fuel chamber and thegrate, of the steam generating and oil vaporizing coils surrounding saidfuel chamber, a blast conduit entering said chamber through the grateand suitable connections between said steam coil and the vaporizingcoil, between the steam coil and the blast conduit, and between thevaporizing coil and the generator, whereby blended steam-and-oil andsteam-and-air are separatelyand simultaneously projected into the fuelchamber, substantially as set forth. 6. The combination with thegenerating chamber and the vertically movable rotary hearth, of thevertical grate bars inclosing the movable hearth and mainly fixed to thefurnaceplate but having one or more sections hinged to said plate andarranged to swing outward from the hearth to allow free access theretofor cleaning, substantially as set forth.

7. The improvement in the art of manufacturing gas which consists inmechanically maintaining the body of incandescent fuel in a state ofuniform and continuous agitation, thereby preventing incipient clinkerand oaking formations, and simultaneously projecting into it acontinuous stream of vapor, sub stantially as set forth.

8. The improvement in the art of manufac IIO turing gas which consistsin mechanically In testi mony whereof we affix our signatures mantaining the body of incandescent fuel in in presence of two Witnesses.

a state of uniform and continuous agitation ARTHUR KITSON.

and simultaneously projecting into it sepav THOMAS WALKER. 5 rate andcontinuous streams of blended Witnesses:

steam and. air and steam and oil respectively, E. CLINTON RHOADS,

substantially as set forth. J ND. C. BELL.

Correction in Lettersv Patent No. 507,073-

It is hereby certified that Letters Patent No. v 5' ()7,( 73, grantedOctober 17, 1893, upon the application of Arthur Kitson and ThomasWalker, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for an improvement in Apparatusfor and Method of Reducing Gas, were erroneously issued to said Kitsonand Walker, as owners of the invention; whereas said Letters Patentshould have been issued to said Arthur Kitson, he being sole owner ofthe entire interest, as shown by the record of assignments in thisoifice; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with thiscorrection therein that the same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Ofiice.

Signed, counter'signed, and sealed this 30th day of June, A. D. 1896.

[SEAL] JNO. M. REYNOLDS,

Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Oountersigned:

S.- T. FISHER,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

